Judgement  a SasoDei Fanfiction
by Desaicedancer
Summary: Deidara kills himself by creating a massive explosion with the intent to kill Sasuke. He's told he's dead, and that the ceremony for Judgement is in an hour. What is Judgement? What will he find at the ceremony? Rated T for Hidan!
1. Death

**(Desa's corner:**

**Deidara: So, Desa, this is your first story then? **

**Me: Yeah, I guess...**

**Sasori: You better make it good.**

**Deidara: Oi Danna don't be so harsh, it's her first story after all... Desa-chan, I'm sure it'll be great!**

**Me: Thanks Dei! Oh, by the way, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, only the plot. If I did, do you really think I'd be writing this fanfiction? **

**Sasori: Aside from the bit about the brat's death in the beginning anyway…**

**Me: BUT IT WAS CRUCIAL TO THE STORY!**

**Deidara: My death?)**

"This will be my ultimate art!"

_I must be crazy_, Deidara thought to himself. 

"Now… I will detonate myself."

_I really, really, must be crazy_. 

"With death, I will become art. This never-before-seen explosion will leave a massive scar on this land… My art will finally obtain the admiration it deserves!"

Deidara thought of Sasori, his deceased partner, and of the Akatsuki, the organization he belonged to. He thought of his current partner, Tobi. It was too late now.

"Sorry, Tobi…" Deidara thought aloud. "In the midst of my admiration, you will definitely die!"

Deidara stared with a half-crazed expression at the pitiful Uchiha laid before him. Sasuke attempted to stand so he could retreat, but he stumbled back down as soon as he was on his feet. Deidara had taken the remainder of his clay and had fed it into the once stitched up mouth on his chest.

"This explosion will cover a ten kilometer radius. You will not be able to get away, un! Now, tremble with fear…"

His whole body had begun disappearing, as if he were dissolving midair. Black lines that seemed to be his veins were all that remained, still in the form of the blonde's body. They began to coil into a strange-looking ball, located where his heart had once been. The mouth on his chest had formed into two white eyes and a zigzagged mouth on top of the ball.

"Be in awe! Despair!"

He threw himself back with arms out wide, with a deranged smile on his face as he watched the Uchiha's reaction.

"Scream! My art is…"

Deidara's black veins had completely retracted into the ball, which was suspended in midair. The form of his body was no longer there. It was hopeless for the Uchiha. The ball began to crack, as condensed rays of bright, white, immense light shot out of it.

"KATSU!"

The ball shattered. A ray of bright light shot into the sky. The blast quickly consumed everything in its path, stretching ten kilometers in every direction, as Deidara had claimed it would. Trees were ripped to shreds with ease, and the birds attempting to flea were no match for the explosion, which was rapidly expanding. It shook the ground violently.

"AN EXPLOSION!"

This was the death of Deidara Katsu. 

**-.-.- 15 Minutes Afterwards -.-.-**

Three figures stood in the ruins of what once was a forest. The aftermath of the explosion had left a huge, gaping hole - nothing more. One of the figures knelt down and examined the very last place the blonde had been, before he had bombed himself.

"So this is where he died?" The figure stood up.

"Yeah. The kid suicided. Deidara Katsu, 19 years of age, an artist who was a missing nin from Iwagakure. He was an S-ranked criminal; he had been a part of an organization called the Akatsuki. The same organization you were in, right?"

No response.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Ah, yeah, sorry. Yes, I was in the Akatsuki…"

The third figure spoke up. "Hey, the ceremony's in an hour or so. We should get going; we don't want to be late. After all, today's the day everyone's being assigned partners for Judgement. If we miss the ceremony we have to wait another six months for the next, and I don't want to be stuck roaming around the face of the earth until then. It's dull."

"I also sense Konoha nearby," the former Akatsuki member noted. "It would be troublesome to run into them here."

The three figures quickly fled the scene. 

**-.-.- Deidara's POV -.-.-**

Deidara opened his eyes. He lay there, staring groggily at the ceiling, taking a moment for his head to register the events that just unfolded. When it all sunk in, he gasped and bolted upright. _Shouldn't I be dead?_

He looked around. He was in a large room. The walls and ceiling were completely white, the tile floor a light golden-yellow. There were at least 3 doors on each wall, the same golden-yellow as the floor, except for one wall. The wall had a huge archway leading to a beautiful rose garden, with a fountain in the center. A gold-trimmed white desk was in front of the archway a bit, and there was a girl with short orange hair sitting behind it, reading a book. She was wearing a light purple suit. A boy with brown hair sat in a chair next to the desk, wearing the same thing as the girl. Deidara noticed he was staring right at him.

His muscles tensed. Where was he, wasn't he just fighting that Uchiha kid? Didn't he detonate himself? He felt no pain; actually, he seemed to be in pretty good shape. He was wearing his usual black shirt with the fishnet sleeves, and his baggy black pants. He had no idea where his Akatsuki robe was, though. His blonde hair was tied above his head; his usual hairstyle with the fringe covering his left eye, the one he couldn't see out of. He noticed he was also missing his clay, and his weapons, but the mouths on his hands were still present.

"Looks like the kid's finally awake, Airi!" The brown haired boy exclaimed. Deidara looked up.

"Oh? Is that so?" The orange haired girl looked up from her book, and down at the blonde. "Deidara Katsu, if I'm not mistaken?"

The dumbfounded artist could only nod his head and stare. There were so many things running through his mind, he was overwhelmed. She called him over, and he got up, wearily. _Am I dreaming?_ He thought. _Is this meant to be heaven? If it is, then how the hell did an S-ranked criminal like _me_ get here?_

"Deidara Katsu," the girl repeated. He snapped back to reality, and walked over to the desk. "19 years of age, an S-ranked criminal, and a missing nin from Iwagakure. An artist who worked with clay; a sculptor. Your creations were bombs, were they not? Also, you had mouths on the palms of your hands, and one on your chest."

"How the hell do you know all of that, un? And why are you speaking in past tense? I'm right here, god damn it! What the hell is going on, un?" Deidara was about to go insane, if he hadn't already. Just what was happening to him?

"Well, Deidara," the girl responded. "That's easy to answer. You're dead."

**(Desa's corner:**

**Sasori: Not bad. I'm not in it yet, though...**

**Me: Oh, you will be!**

**Deidara: YOU KILLED ME! How could you, Desa-chan?**

**Me: Ah, haha, well technically you killed yourself... XD *hugs Dei***

**Deidara: *hugs back, and pulls Sasori into hug***

**Sasori: Oi brat, what do you think you're doing?... Tch... *hugs back***

**Deidara: Hehe XD)**


	2. Old Friends

**(Desa's corner:**

**Me: Author's notes sounded boring so I decided to use Desa's corner instead. Also, the last chapter was screwed up a bit, sorry! There were meant to be three different breaks indicating a change of setting, but they didn't appear in the story…**

**Deidara: Desa-chan, it's fine!**

**Sasori: No it's not. It looks like a mess. If the breaks had worked properly it'd be fine.**

**Me: Sasori's right… But the breaks will work in this chapter, I'm sure of it! Deidei, if you could, please?**

**Deidara: Desa-chan doesn't own Naruto or any of the show's characters! She only owns the plot!**

**Me: Thank you! Here's chapter 2!**

**- Chapter two: Old Friends -**

"I'm… dead, un?" Deidara stared at the girl with an expression that pretty much screamed 'WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?'

"Yes. Do you have short term memory loss, or something?" She retorted. "You made a bomb out of yourself in hopes of bringing the Uchiha kid down with you."

"Don't fuck with me, un!" He yelled. "I DO remember that, but now I'm here, completely unscathed. I BLEW myself up, DAMN IT, un! Where am I, anyway?"

"The Judgement realm," she replied. "Basically, this is the place you wake up in once you've passed away. Akira and I here," she says, motioning to the brown haired boy next to her, who had been observing the conversation silently with a smirk, "deal with the newcomers, and direct them where to go."

"The Judgement realm? This isn't making any sense, un." Deidara scowled in frustration, clearly unamused. "This seems like something cheesy you'd watch on a kid's television show. What the hell is 'Judgement' anyway, un?"

Airi set her book down completely and handed Deidara what seemed to be a map. She pointed to a large square on the left hand side. "Follow my directions, okay? If you don't, you'll have to wait another six months for this," she told him. "This is where we are now. See the garden area above the square? That's the rose garden behind us. See that huge square?" She traced her finger up the paper to the largest square on the paper. "That's where you have to be in 30 minutes. It'll take you five to find your way there and 15 to register, depending on how long the line is. If you head there, everything will be explained. Okay?"

Deidara studied the map briefly before looking back up at the girl. He glared at her and snatched the paper from her hands, and stormed out through the archway without looking back. He wanted to know what the hell was going on, and he wanted to know NOW.

It was a first for him, feeling so useless. Deidara was an arrogant fellow; he had immense pride in his artwork. He had always argued with his old Akatsuki partner, Sasori, about whether art was eternal, or fleeting, even though he knew Sasori could kill him with his puppet Hiruko in any given moment. He was smart, but naïve and immature, as he was so young. So wandering through the halls of some girly, mysterious place didn't appeal to him at all, especially without his clay. He had no protection aside from his hand to hand combat skills, and it worried him, as he knew anyone else in the vicinity was most likely able to take him down. He'd have to play nice for now, and find out where the hell he was, and what the hell was going to happen to him.

He ran through the garden, down the corridor, and through the entrance to the massive building. The room he entered wasn't big, but it wasn't small, either. There was a wooden desk to the right, and blue, comfortable-looking chairs to the left. Straight in front of him were two huge, brown doors. The walls were a dark green color, and the floor was a grey carpet. Surprisingly the room was empty – didn't that woman before mention something about a long line? He approached the desk.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" Asked the clerk. Deidara glared daggers at the man.

"I'm not a girl, un," he corrected the man in an annoyed tone. "I was told to come here and register, un." _Though for what, I have no clue,_ he thought.

"Ah, were you recently deceased? What's your name?" The man ignored the fact that he had corrected him, but Deidara was too overwhelmed as it was to care. He sighed.

"Deidara Katsu, un."

The man looked through the stack of papers that sat at his desk, and found the one he was looking for. He pulled out a list and wrote something down, before handing the paper to the blonde.

"Take this, and head through those doors there. When they call your name, do as they ask you to. You'll be assigned a partner, and then you and your partner will be assigned to a group along with four others. You'll be given instructions afterwards."

Deidara snatched the paper up without another word and walked towards the door. He was getting tired of this.

He opened the door, and his eyes widened a bit at the scene before him. He had walked into a massive room, filled with what seemed like hundreds of people. There were people of all ages, all sizes, both genders… and these were all recently deceased? Deidara couldn't help but to wonder. How many of these people had he possibly killed, especially with that last explosion?

**-.-.- Hidan's POV -.-.-**

The doors opened for what seemed like the thousandth time today to Hidan, literally. He glanced over, curious as always to see who the newcomer was, when he found himself staring at a blue-eyed, slightly masculine girl, with gorgeous long hair tied up in a ponytail. _Wait,_ Hidan thought. _Holy fucking Jashin!_

"Oi, KAKUZU!" Hidan yelled at the man with dark brown hair silently sitting next to him. "Get the fuck up and look who just walked in the door!" Hidan began to shove through the group of people that separated him from the newcomer. Kakuzu stood up wearily and followed.

**-.-.- Deidara's POV -.-.-**

"HEY, Blondie!" He heard someone from the crowd roar, in a voice that was very familiar to him. He looked wearily towards the general area he heard the voice come from, when he saw none other than Hidan pushing and shoving his way towards him. Deidara sighed. _Wasn't he supposed to be immortal?_ He thought. Deidara immediately thought of Kakuzu, who was Hidan's old Akatsuki partner, and Sasori, his own deceased partner. Would he see those two here, as well?

Hidan had made his way successfully to Deidara, earning some nasty looks from the people he was pushing by along the way. Sure enough, Kakuzu had followed silently behind.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Blondie?" He asked Deidara. "You're not really dead, are ya?"

Deidara glared at Hidan. "Speak for yourself. Weren't you supposed to be immortal, un?"

Hidan scowled. "When that Konoha bastard crushed my head, I woke up here, along with Kakuzu."

Deidara looked the two up and down thoroughly. They were both wearing their usual outfits. Kakuzu still had his old forehead protector on, the mask covering up his face. His clothes were somewhat similar to what Deidara was wearing. Hidan had his silver chain necklace around his neck, the symbol that was an upside down equilateral triangle inside a circle hung from the chain. Hidan had no shirt on, and black baggy pants. He was the only one out of the three that had somehow kept his Akatsuki robe. If this was actually real, then where in the world was Sasori? Deidara scanned the crowd, looking frantically for the redhead. Unable to find him, he returned his attention to his old comrades.

"Where's Sasori, un?" He asked the two.

Kakuzu spoke up. "We haven't seen him. He might have actually gone through with the ceremony already. We don't know what he looks like though, as Hidan and I only saw him inside that puppet shell."

"Damn... Wait, you mentioned something about a ceremony, un. What is it, why are we here, un? And what the hell is Jud-" Before he could finish his thoughts, a loud horn blew out over the crowd, grabbing everyone's attention.

"We will now begin the ceremony."

**(Desa's corner:**

**Hidan: So if we're all dead, where the fuck is Lord Jashin?**

**Me: That's a secret.**

**Deidara: So he actually exists?**

**Me: Who knows…**

**Hidan: OF COURSE he exists, you fucking moron!**

**Sasori: Still not in here… Even Kakuzu's in the story…**

**Me: Saso, you'll be in it soon enough, don't worry! Anyway, that was the end of Chapter 2, I hope it was somewhat entertaining… It actually seems a bit lame to me. I apologize if any of the characters are OOC.**


	3. The Ceremony

**(Desa's corner:**

***spots Deidara working with some clay, walks over* **

**Me: What've you got there, Deidei?**

**Deidara: Using some non-explosive clay to make a miniature Danna, un! I've gotta paint it later…**

***Sasori walks over; Deidara quickly hides his clay***

**Sasori: What're you up to now, brat?**

**Deidara: N-nothing, Sa-Sasori no Danna, un! Umm… Desa-chan doesn't own Naruto or any of its characters, only the plot, un! )**

**- Chapter Three: The Ceremony -**

It was utterly quiet throughout the entire vicinity, nobody made a peep. The three reunited friends silently looked up with interest at the person who had made the announcement. At the opposite end of the crowded room stood a podium, and Deidara saw a feminine figure with short, orange hair standing behind it. There was man next to her who had brown hair, and they seemed to be dressed in the same, light purple attire. Deidara immediately recognized them as the two who greeted him and directed him here in the first place: Airi, and Akira.

"This is the initiation ceremony that shall lead to the first step of Judgement. You will be paired with a partner, whom you shall cooperate with throughout the entire process. You and your partner will be assigned to groups which include four others, making a grand total of six members," she explained. "You have all passed away. Whether you are aggrieved by, indifferent to, remorseful of, or satisfied with this fact, you must accept it. This ceremony will guide you to a staircase with steps that will either lead you up to the gates of Heaven, or down into the pits of Hell."

Deidara's eyes widened a bit at the last line, as the meaning of "Judgement" sunk in. He listened more intently now, as she confirmed his worst fears.

"This will be a trial; you will be pushed to your limits in both mental and physical challenges that will take course over the next six months," Airi explained simply in a matter-of-fact tone, smirking at the reactions she was getting from her audience. "Of course, the challenges vary on you and your partner's individual traits."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He glanced over at Hidan, who seemed somewhat amused. _Could his Lord Jashin bullshit actually be real?_ He thought. After all that's happened today so far, he wouldn't be surprised, at this point.

"First, we will deal with the men," she announced. "Any men 18 or older please proceed through the blue doors to the right of me. Please hand Akira the paper you were given at the desk beforehand." A good third of the room began making their way towards the blue doors, with Hidan, Kakuzu, and Deidara being the last three. Deidara was about to enter when he heard the set of brown doors he had entered the room in open. He looked back over his shoulder with curiosity, only to grimace when he saw who stood in the doorway.

It was none other than Itachi Uchiha.

**-.-.- Itachi's POV -.-.-**

"Here you go, sir, right through those doors," the man at the desk said, handing Itachi a paper. "They've already begun sorting people and your age group is first, so you might want to hurry."

The Uchiha thanked the man politely, and head through the brown doors. The first thing he noticed was a girl with short, orange hair standing behind a podium. He looked slightly to the right of that, and found a pair of pale-blue eyes staring right at him, not hiding their obvious displeasure. He smirked, and walked over. He could see the blonde disappear as he turned around and walked through the door.

Itachi could understand the reasoning behind the chilling looks the blonde gave him; he could understand why he felt the way he did. He actually pitied Deidara a bit, but of course he hadn't expressed these feelings to him. Itachi truly had a kind soul, but his feelings for everyone (besides his brother Sasuke, of course, and his village) and everything had been basically eradicated. Any feelings he did have were minor, and being in the position he was in, he was limited. His actions and words had been narrowly cut down to a fairly small selection. He realized now, though, that he'd have a lot more freedom than he did while being alive. He could finally relax - one way or another.

Itachi approached the blue doors and handed Akira his paper. As soon as he entered, he realized the room was pitch black. He couldn't see a single thing.

**-.-.- Deidara's POV -.-.-**

Deidara heard Akira's voice boom out loudly through the dark, and listened intently.

"This is your first trial!" Akira exclaimed. "So there are around 36 of you here? Perfect." He chuckled darkly; it was a deep, menacing laugh that surprised Deidara. That didn't sound like the young brunette he had met just a little while ago. He didn't feel as if he was in any danger, but he prepared himself for the worst case scenario anyway. "There are six doors. Your task is simple: make your way to one of them. Once six people have entered a door, it will be sealed until everyone has made their way to a room. Your six man team will consist of you and the other five you end up in the room with. It's quite simple, really. I will not be revealing your partner, though. You will meet your partner as you are settling down in your dorms – your partner will be your roommate."

_Dorms?_ Deidara wondered. _Are we heading to some kind of campus after this?_

"I will now depart. Best of luck to you all." Akira's presence had vanished.

It was pitch black. The blonde couldn't see a single thing, no matter how much he strained his eyes. He shut his eyes and focused on sensing his way through. He begun to hear the faint tapping of footsteps as the other 35 men began stumbling around in the dark. He heard a few stumble, and smirked. _They're relying on their eyesight. How foo-_!

Deidara's train of thought was interrupted (ironically) as he bumped into someone himself. He stumbled back in alarm and fell on his butt. Slightly embarrassed, the blonde opened his eyes for a brief moment and could barely make out a strange hooded figure standing before him. _I could sense everyone else,_ he thought. _Why couldn't I sense his presence?_ Deidara quickly rose to his feet.

"Ah, um… sorry…" the blonde awkwardly apologized. He heard the hooded man mutter something along the lines of "watch where you're going, brat" before he vanished. Deidara rarely even takes the time to apologize to anyone for ANYTHING, so the man's attitude irritated him. How the hell was he supposed to watch where he was going when it was so dark, anyway?

The blonde fumed silently as he continued searching for one of the six doors. He sensed something strange up ahead, and sure enough, as he opened his eyes, there was a dim light up ahead. He quickened his pace, his slow, concentrated walk turning into a jog, and then into a full out sprint. He was eager to get this over with.

Deidara had completely forgotten about the hooded figure as he approached the door, a smug look on his face. As he opened the door and glanced around the small room, his smirk dissipated completely. He scowled as his eyes fell upon his soon-to-be comrades. There, sitting right in front of him, was the hooded figure himself. On the far left sat Itachi, with the usual stoic expression plastered on his face. He looked to the right and saw that Kakuzu was present, as well, which relieved him a bit. _At least there's one person in this group that isn't a complete dipshit,_ he thought. The door closed behind him and he sat in the right corner, next to Kakuzu – as far away from the other two as possible.

It was completely quiet. At least Deidara was around people who wouldn't annoy him constantly on end as his old Akatsuki partner Tobi did. He took this chance to look at his surroundings. The room they were in was fairly small, with only six seats. The door was on one wall, and there were two seats on each of the remaining walls. The seats were spread out a bit, so everyone wasn't completely jammed together. Deidara sighed, laying back and pressing his head lightly against the wall. Just as he closed his eyes, the door slammed open.

"Oi Kakuzu you fucking piece of shit, looks like we got on the same team!" The intruder cried out. _Hidan,_ the blonde thought, not even phased. "Looks like Blondie's here too, and Itachi, where the hell did you come from?" Hidan took the seat between Kakuzu and the hooded man. Deidara felt both relieved and annoyed at the fact that he would have to work with his old comrades. The only person he didn't know was – he opened his eyes and shot the hooded man a dirty look – HIM. Suddenly, the door opened again, but with less force.

A strange man with short, light, brown hair walked in and sat down between Itachi and the hooded man. He was quite a few inches shorter than Deidara, but his face made him look like he could be around 25. He had emerald-green eyes, and pale skin.

"Ahh, you made it here too?" Deidara heard the man say.

"Hnn," the hooded figure hummed in response. Suddenly, the door vanished completely, Airi standing in front of the spot the door was once at. She looked among the members in the room before nodding in satisfaction.

"Interesting how most of you are ex-Akatsuki. I suppose we know what to name your group then," she said. She tossed each member in the room a set of keys. "For your dorm room," she explained. She vanished as quick as she had appeared, the door now back in place. It opened automatically.

Deidara stared out the door, eyes wider than usual, as he took it all in. He was awestruck.

**(Desa's corner:**

**Deidara: Danna, can you come here a sec?**

**Sasori: What is it brat?**

**Deidara: I m-made this, f-f-for you… *holds out a mini clay sculpture of Sasori shyly***

**Sasori: I love it Deidei, it's wonderful! *hugs Deidara***

***Deidara hugs back happily***

**Me: Aren't they cute? XD Anyway, I had major writers block while writing this… That's why it took me so long… Sorry, guys! On with the next chap!)**


End file.
